


In The Shadows And In The Light

by afteriwake



Series: Unexpected Legacies [8]
Category: Arthurian Mythology, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 05:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5078869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock and Molly finally get to go out on their first date and <i>nothing</i>, come Hell or high water, is going to ruin it. Nothing. Or at least that’s what he thought, until he wakes up having a vision. Fortunately, he’s got a very understanding girlfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Shadows And In The Light

**Author's Note:**

> So I had been asked by **WayTooEasilyObssessed** to write them having their first date for a few stories now, and I obliged...kind of. It's never quite according to plan with these two, unfortunately. But hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway, dear! Anyway, this fic is my last entry for the series in the 2015 round of the Spook Me Ficathon. It was inspired by [this piece of artwork](http://s27.postimg.org/z0loznh9v/hdayfall6sm_zpsdyot4ovd.jpg) by Renee French.

He woke up late in the morning to an empty bed. Apparently draining London and the surrounding area of electricity and then trying to bring it back had caused him to go into one of his deeper restorative night sleeps. Normally he could tell when Molly left the bed and he was awake not long afterward. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand as saw it was ten seventeen in the morning. He stretched for a moment and then shut his eyes as he yawned.

When he opened them, the room was not as he normally saw it. In fact, he was not in his room at all. The world was black and white and shades of grey, and he saw a figure moving nearby. It had no real facial figures, instead having dark shadows in place of its eyes and mouth and nostrils. It stopped moving and turned to face him. He instinctively moved back, and in a flash he was back in his room, sunlight streaming in the window.

He tentatively moved forward again, but was not transported back to the strange…wherever it was he had been. After a moment he brushed it aside, standing up and making his way to the back of his door to get his dressing gown. He needed coffee and he needed sustenance and he needed to think on what had just happened, run through what it could be and rule out what it _couldn’t_ be and try to figure out what the bloody hell had just happened.

But coffee and breakfast first.

He made his way into the kitchen area and wasn’t surprised to see Merlin sitting there, nursing a cup of coffee. “I see you made yourself at home,” Sherlock said, going to the coffee pot to see if there was any left for him.

Merlin was quiet for a moment. “You just had a vision,” he said when he finally spoke.

Sherlock stilled, hand on the pot. “What?”

“Someone is trying to reach out to you. I’ve been waiting for you to come out of that near comatose state you’re in for the last hour, and I could feel something shift a few moments ago, something in your mind. I know what it’s like when someone I’m linked to has a vision, and you had one.”

“It wasn’t anything important,” Sherlock said.

“What did you see?” Merlin asked.

“A world in shades of grey, a figure with no features save shadows in place of eyes and mouth. Nothing important.” He began to pour himself some coffee into the mug that was sitting nearby. “It’s not something to worry about, is it?”

“Not that little snippet,” Merlin said. “Once you get the rest of the message, though…then there might be something to worry about.”

Sherlock sighed, hanging his head. “Can’t I get one moment of peace? First there’s dark fae, then I find out someone close to me is destined to die, then monsters from the movies—”

“What are you talking about?” Merlin asked sharply, turning to face Sherlock. “Who’s going to die?”

“I have no clue,” he said, pulling his attention away from the coffee he was pouring. “All I know is that Raedself said it was in my future and it could possibly be changed but then she ended the prediction in the middle of it, when the pool changed to a sickly green colour.”

“You need to tell me these things, Sherlock,” Merlin said gruffly, getting up from his seat. “It’s important I know these things.”

“Yes, well, now you know,” he said, giving Merlin a mild glare. He turned away quickly when the coffee spilled over the edge of his mug onto his hand, and he pulled his hand back sharply. He reached over for a dishtowel to sop up the spilled coffee and then ran his hand under cold water from the tap. After a moment when the pain stopped he set his hands on the edge of the sink. “I would like, just for once, to have a moment where nothing extraordinary happens. I would like for there to be one normal day in my life.”

“That’s not your life anymore,” Merlin said.

He hung his head. “I told Molly I would take her out on a proper date this evening,” he replied. “I suppose now that’s not going to happen.”

“If you’re lucky, this vision will hit before the date,” Merlin said sympathetically. He came up behind him, and then after a moment he put his hand on Sherlock’s shoulder and squeezed. “No one asks for this life. No one particularly wants it. And you…if you can’t reverse the immortality curse, you’re looking at this being your existence for the rest of eternity.”

“I know,” he said in a slightly bitter tone.

“What I’m trying to say is that I understand. I do. Better than most.” He was quiet for a moment. “Molly would probably like Dotori. I know a guy there, and he owes me a favor. I’ll get you a table at six, okay. Just…for now, try to stay here and relax and see if the vision come to you. Don’t fight it. It will hurt more if you fight it.”

Sherlock nodded, still hanging his head, and after a moment he felt Merlin’s hand off his shoulder and then felt his presence recede from the room. He didn’t want to ruin tonight. He owed Molly a proper date. Their relationship had been a mess from the start, not having gone at all in the proper order, and he should have given her at least four or five proper dates by now. He was a rather horrible excuse for a boyfriend, he realized. He wondered why she put up with him.

He made something simple to eat and ate quickly before retiring to the bedroom again, lying down on the bed. He had never been good at relaxing in any normal way, but he could clear his mind and be in a still and open state, and so he did that without going to his mind palace. He shut his eyes and got comfortable. If the vision was going to come to him, now would be the best time. 

He stayed like that for a long time, until he was on the verge of falling asleep. It was only when he glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly five that he realize it had been an utter waste. As he stared at the clock, though, he felt his focus shift and slide again. Then he was back in the grey world, and there were more otherworldly figures. He tried to speak to them, to reach out to them, but his vocal cords were frozen and his arms were stuck by his side. All he could do was watch. This time it lasted longer but still, it was not long enough, and with a jolt he was back in his bedroom as the door opened.

“Sherlock?” Molly asked, a frown on her face. “Are you ill?”

He shook his head. “No. Just…tired.”

“We don’t have to go out tonight,” she said, coming in. “I mean, if you’re not up to it, we could do a night in.”

He shook his head again, this time more fervently. “No. I promised.”

“All right,” she said. “I…um…I need to get ready.” He nodded and stood, just a tad unsteady, and then went to the closet and got out a suit and then went to his dresser and got a shirt. He went to the loo and changed there, and when he was done he went out into the sitting room, feeling the world shift out of focus again. It snapped back in when Molly appeared, wearing a salmon colored dress with a scoop neck and short sleeves with slight tiers in the skirt and a white leather belt at the waist. She’s pulled her hair back into a nice twist and put on a chunky gold bracelet and he had to admit she looked quite nice, aside from the frown on her face. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Fine,” he said with a nod. “Shall we be off?”

“All right,” she said with a touch of uncertainty. She gave him her hand and he felt steadier, and he made it a point to stay close as they left Baker Street and got into a cab, as well as the entire cab ride to the restaurant. It wasn’t until they were seated across from each other that he realized there were going to be problems. He looked at the menu, trying to focus on it. His gaze kept slipping in and out, focusing between the menu and the black and white world where the otherworldly spirits were. He looked up at Molly and couldn’t focus on her, either. After a moment she reached over and grasped his hand, and he found it easier to hold his focus on her. “Sherlock? What’s wrong?”

“My focus is slipping,” he said, clenching his jaw slightly. “Earlier today I got hit with the beginning of a vision. I keep seeing figures, in a black and white world. Rather like when I see ghosts, but not quite. I had hoped the full vision would hit earlier but it didn’t, and it appears it’s coming now, whether I want it to or not.”

“What can I do?” she asked as edged towards getting out of his seat as, once again, his focus shifted.

“Get…Merlin,” he got out before the vision engulfed him fully. This time, there was no vagueness to the vision, and he was not merely an observer. He saw hundreds of the figures, rows upon rows of them, all being watched over by a dark figure shrouded in shadow, an evil feminine laugh sounding on his ears. He could see remnants of historical landmarks, not just from London but from all over the world. He could feel the seeping cold and realize that the Dark One would not stop until the world was under her control. And then he was able to move closer, to the bottom of her shadows, to see it coiled around a vaguely familiar figure. If he could just get close enough, he could see who it was coiled around…

He came to with a start in his bed. He had no idea how he had gotten there. It took him a moment, but he realized he was in his pyjamas as well. He blinked a few times but realized that there was no second reality invading his sight. Whatever had been happening earlier, it was done now.

He also realized he had a rather sore spot on the back of his head.

He pushed aside the covers and set his feet on the floor before padding out into the sitting room. He saw Molly curled up on the sofa, feet tucked under her as she was looking at the television, an afghan thrown over her body. He realized she’d changed out of the dress and into her pyjamas, which meant it must be late. She looked up and gave him a warm smile when he got closer. “Hey. How’s your head?”

“Sore,” he said, rubbing the spot where there was a dull throb. “Why is it sore?”

“You hit the edge of the table when you passed out,” she said, sitting up more and patting the spot on the sofa next to her. “The owners were quite worried, but Merlin was there shortly afterward and he hauled you out into the alley and whisked you off here and left me at the restaurant by myself.” She gestured to his change of dress. “He changed you, by the way. So no worries that I’ve seen more of you than you’ve seen of me.”

Sherlock winced. That was not at all how he had planned for their date to go. “I’m sorry,” he said with a sigh.

“It’s all right,” she said. “The owners insisted I take advantage of the takeaway they offer, for when you came to, and so there’s all sorts of food for us to eat.”

“Have you had any of it?” he asked.

“Just the tempura udon soup. I didn’t think that would keep well.” She took the afghan off her lower body. “I can get you something, if you’re hungry.”

He realized he was starved, and so he nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

“It’s all right the date didn’t go well, you know,” she said as she went in the kitchen. “It happens. I understand.”

“But it should have,” he said. “I had wanted it to.”

“Well, you’ll just have to try harder next time,” she said.

“I _did_ try, and it led to me being out cold for…” He trailed off. “How long was I asleep?”

“It’s only half past ten,” she said. “So just a couple of hours. I haven’t even put any of the food in the refrigerator yet.” She pulled down two plates and began moving around the kitchen. “I doubt we’ll ever be a normal couple, Sherlock. Dates are going to get ruined, things are going to come up, saving the whole of humanity is going to take priority. I’ve come to accept that. As long as we get time together, that’s all that matters to me.”

“It just seems we’ve gone about our relationship all wrong,” he said, leaning into the sofa. “We share a residence, out of necessity. We share a bed by choice, and yet we haven’t had a single date. It doesn’t seem…normal.”

“But neither of us are normal,” she said. “Look at it this way, though: are you happy with me?”

“Yes,” he said without a moment’s hesitation.

“Well, I’m happy with you, too. I’m happy with sharing Baker Street with you. I’m happy sharing a bed with you, and taking other aspects of our relationship at whatever pace we deem fit. I don’t give one hoot that we haven’t had a successful date yet. So as long as it doesn’t bother me, and as long as it doesn’t bother you, then does it really matter what anyone else thinks?”

He considered it. After a moment he got up and moved over to her, embracing her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head as she leaned back against him. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

“I'm glad you agree with me, then,” she said with a smile. “I adore you, Sherlock. I might even love you at this point. I’m not sure yet.” He tightened his hold around her in response. “But I don’t want you to second guess what’s right for us. As long as we’re happy, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. All right?”

He gave the tiniest of nods. “All right.” 

“Good.” She pulled away slightly and gestured to the plate with food on it. “So far I have ojingeo bokkeum, kimchi bokkeumbap and kimchi jeon for you. All the spicy stuff. Did you want sushi as well? I have a mixture of small rolls and big rolls.”

He surveyed the food, relaxing as he did. He was quite fortunate that she had chosen him to be the one she cared about, that she had chosen him as the one she might possibly love. He doubted he would ever have found someone else as understanding and caring as Molly Hooper was, and if she was to be his fate, he had to wonder what he had done to be so fortunate.


End file.
